Hey PotterCast fans! We're back with an all new episode, as well as an all new website! What do you think?? This episode features some of the latest in Harry Potter news, a run down of all the new features of PotterCast.com, as well as some teasers for some new Leaky features coming in the next couple of weeks!

Episode 224 — From Infinitus and Beyond!

Find the latest episode and explore PotterCast interviews, discussions and more at PotterCast.com

Visit the-leaky-cauldron.org for the latest and greatest from Harry Potter's Wizard World.

SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT WHERE DO WE START?!?!! PotterCast breaks down the revelations, theories, and more in the final trailer for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Crimes of Grindelwald." Or, Episode II.

A whole episode about the game! THE GAME! THE NEW WIZARD GAME! John, Frak, and Melissa detail the new game from Niantic and all their experiences with it.

Also, check out Extraneous, where we are giving the His Dark Materials books the deep-diving PotterCast treatment!

Welcome to a very special episode of PotterCast!

This week, J.K. Rowling angered and saddened many fans when she came out in support of a woman whose company had not renewed her employment contract because she refused to recognize the legally protected rights of trans people. In coming back from a months-long Twitter hiatus, J.K. Rowling mischaracterized the facts of the case in support of a dangerous and unscientific movement that invalidates the trans experience, and in doing so flies in the face of medical consensus worldwide.

Her comments also confused a lot of fans who are not fully familiar with the issues at stake, or cannot understand how someone whose book series is so vehemently about tolerance can express support for a woman whose views invalidate so many people's existences. That's why in this episode, we are going over it all.

Jackson Bird, longtime friend of the podcast and of Leaky, as well as author, trans activist and educator, and expert Waffler, joins us to explain and process what this means for Harry Potter fans. We discuss:

• What actually happened
• What J.K. Rowling said versus what happened to the woman in question, Maya Forstater
• Why many fans saw this coming
• What to do now that the creator of the series we love so dearly has taken this stance
• How to support trans and non-binary communities
• How we as fans are feeling about all of this
• What to do now, especially since we still love this community

We hope you'll listen and share. Here are some helpful resources, including things we mention in the show:

• Jack's book! SORTED: Growing up, coming out, and finding my place
• A list of information from medical communities around the world validating that trans and non-binary people exist
• GLAAD's transgender media program has great resources, FAQs, ways to take action, and ways to learn
• Transstudent.org has more Information regarding sex and gender
• GONADS, the great series by RadioLab

News articles regarding this incident:

• The Cut
• Vox (on British culture and the "gender critical" movement)
• The Mary Sue

News articles regarding past incidents that have also upset the community:

• The Mary Sue on Johnny Depp and the Crimes of Grindelwald
• Past indicators that J.K. Rowling was following trans-exclusionary ideologies
• The Guardian on J.K. Rowling's writings on Native American cultulre
• "The Harry Potter Series Makes a Mess of Its Commentary on Racism" — The Mary Sue
• "Is Fantastic Beasts 2 Racist? Not Quite" — The Washington Post

PotterCast and Leaky stand with our trans and non-binary friends and colleagues. 

This episode is in the process of being transcribed. For more, see pottercast.com.

We are isolating together for this freewheeling hour of silliness where we take your Harry Potter questions and have some fun.

ALSO, SOME NEWS: Now there are TWO Patreons: One for just PotterCast, one for Roll 9 3/4 and all the other Mischief Media shows. BOTH get you access to our discord, where there are Harry Potter, gaming, television, movies. cooking, crafting, and a ton of other amazing conversations happening. PLUS lots of amazing bonus content updated weekly.

PotterCast's Patreon
Mischief Media Patreon

Also visit Mischief Merch!  We have so much cool swag there.

Also, there is a LOT of content to entertain you on your quarantine on the Mischief twitch channel — and there will be PotterCast streaming there soon. Watch the hashtag #MischiefFromHome for more!

The overused understatement of the decade is, “This is an unprecedented time.” While the coronavirus outbreak has turned our lives into something none of us likely ever imagined, one fundamental life safety truth remains: THERE IS NO

Today, May 4th, is International Firefighters’ Day. Each year on this day, firefighters are celebrated – and rightly so.   Most people have an image of firefighters clad in heavy coats, over-sized boots and sturdy helmets, rushing into

Got that #fridayfeeling? Get motivated with a game to help you communicate effectively with all service users https://t.co/zHA94rgxZv #AAC

View full details for Learning and Development Adviser (Early Years) job in Edinburgh on s1jobs.com

If you live in the Fife area we have news of an event which will showcase career opportunitie

Training to help health and social care professionals better understand #dementia https://t.co/E8SI7fFJlV @uobnews https://t.co/dFqcCae2tp

NHS Grampian - Senior Care Assistant's Self-Management Outreach Post (Aberdeen City) Location: Based Dee View Court – Aberdeen Salary: £16,517-£17,648 per annum (Band 3) Hours: Full...

The Knowledge Network

Increasing demand “may impact negatively” on Angus social work services unless it is matched by greater resources. That’s the warning sounded by Angus Council’s chief social work officer Tim Armstrong.

Dunfermline,15th September. An event encouraging more people to consider working in social care and support.

A new tax is urgently needed to fund the NHS and social care system, according to a Tory docto

Today, May 4th, is International Firefighters’ Day. Each year on this day, firefighters are celebrated – and rightly so.   Most people have an image of firefighters clad in heavy coats, over-sized boots and sturdy helmets, rushing into

By Leo Babauta I recently talked with a couple of people who are just absolutely slammed with business because of the current crisis, and feel like they are drowning in busyness and stress. I can relate to that feeling — I’ve experienced it a bunch of times, including recently. So I’m writing this guide to […]

That is the topic of my latest Bloomberg column, here is one bit: The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic brought serious economic damage for thinly capitalized face-to-face retailers, such as small family-owned restaurants. But many of those same institutions will lead the recovery — that is, if they have built up trust among their […]

The post America’s reopening will depend on trust appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.

How many stupid, outrageous, maddening government failures can you document in just 500 words? Jim Doti and my former colleague Laurence Iannaccone should win a prize for this piece in the WSJ: …the U.S. is, by far, the world’s largest producer of alcohol. That distinction is a result of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, […]

The post World’s Largest Producer of Rubbing Alcohol Can’t Manufacturer Hand Sanitizer appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.

When: Mon Apr 4, 2016 to Wed Apr 6, 2016 

Where: Europa Hotel, Great Victoria Street, Belfast BT2 7AP, United Kingdom
Event Status: confirmed
Event Description: An international conference of interest to anyone involved with the professional development of students in any field of health or social care. Supporting students in practice settings is an integral part of the preparation of health and social care professionals. Practice and Field Educators enable students to acquire, develop, apply and transfer educational knowledge, skills and attributes to support their learning within the workplace learning environment. This conference will focus on evaluating learning and assessment of performance. For further information, please visit the event website

When: Fri Nov 20, 2015

Who: Social Services Events, brought to you by IRISS
Where: Hilton Hotel, 1 William Street, Glasgow
Event Status: confirmed
Event Description: National Care Home Conference and Exhibition http://www.scottishcare.org/news/scottish-care-national-care-home-conference-exhibition-amp-care-awards-2015/

Support this Podcast by visiting Jim’s Patreon Page Gail Tverberg is an analyst who has been researching the connection between oil limits and the economy for nearly 10 years.  She writes a widely-followed blog called Our Finite World. Her background is as an actuary, working as a consultant to insurance companies. She also has a foot more »

The post KunstlerCast 327 — Conversation with Gail Tverberg of Our Finite World appeared first on Kunstler.

Clusterfuck Nation For your reading pleasure Mondays and Fridays Support this blog by visiting Jim’s Patreon Page It’s one thing to get sandbagged by a public health crisis ­– a plague being about the worst kind – and quite another for an advanced, complex economy to fall away under your feet like a freight elevator that more »

The post Turning and Churning appeared first on Kunstler.

As the nation marks the one-year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub massacre in Orlando this week, a group of experts on active shooter/hostile incident response will assemble at National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) headquarters to develop NFPA 3000, Standard for Preparedness and Response to Active Shooter and/or Hostile Events. It is expected that the initial standard will be completed by early 2018; then the public will have the opportunity to offer input for immediate review.

With summer in full swing, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) are joining forces to remind people about the potential electrical hazards in swimming pools, hot tubs and spas, on board boats and in the waters surrounding boats, marinas and launch ramps.

Knowing that today’s homes burn faster than ever, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced “Every Second Counts: Plan Two Ways Out” as the official theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, October 8-14, 2017. Experts say you may have as little as two minutes (or even less) to safely escape a typical home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds.

Ten years ago, April 20, 11 men on the Deepwater Horizon were incinerated when the BP/Transocean oil rig blew out and exploded. Just 17 months before the Deepwater Horizon destroyed 600 miles of Gulf Coast, BP covered up a

The post Deepwater Horizon: BP’s SECOND Blowout<div id='sec-title'>The Secret History - 10 Year Anniversary</div> appeared first on Greg Palast.

Trump & Co are stealing the election right now, but we can steal it back. We can beat the ballot bandits. Watch this video of my conversation with constitutional expert and broadcaster Thom Hartmann — then pre-order my new book, How Trump Stole 2020, to find out how!

The post Palast & Hartmann: How Trump Stole 2020 — A Warning! appeared first on Greg Palast.

They don’t steal votes to steal elections. They steal votes to steal the money. If you can steal an election, you’ve stolen the keys to the treasury — our treasury. In this conversation, award-winning investigative reporters and authors Greg Palast and David Cay Johnston follow the (stolen) money, and expose the billionaires and ballots bandits who are systematically stripping the United States of its assets, just as a vulture fund would with a corporate entity caught in its talons.

The post Palast & David Cay Johnston: How Trump Stole 2020 — A Warning! appeared first on Greg Palast.

Rock on.

Rock on.

TGIF

Trump is Trump, but I really don't get all the brain geniuses around him who couldn't manage to convince him that while his grand REOPENING OF AMERICA wasn't going to happen as fast as he wanted (remember Easter?), it could, potentially, happen if he just had a bit of patience and did 1/20 of the necessary things, or at least let other people do 1/20 of the necessary things. He could do his victory lap in September as well as now. Happy to be wrong but all the states prematurely opening too many things are likely going to require another stricter lockdown in places. And over. And over.

Or, maybe not! Maybe it will just go away... My big wet boy is a smart guy, he knows things, and people are always amazed at how much he understands.

Humans are guilty of having less than rational thoughts. We do it all the time. We might assume the worst is going to happen or jump to conclusions before we have all the information. Cognitive restructuring helps people become aware of their irrational thoughts so that they can correct them and replace them with more [...]Read More...

When two people meet and decide to pursue a romantic relationship with each other, they always start with high hopes. They are very happy and look at the other person through rose-colored glasses. But as most of us know, that loving feeling doesn’t always last forever. It does for some couples, but for many, they [...]Read More...

It's a bumper crop of BonusCash at your local Rite-Aid this week, with not 1, 2, 3, but 4 gaming GC's, and 1 of those gives you even more options!

• Nike, GameStop, Netflix ... $5 BonusCash when you buy $25 of these items.*
• Google Play, AMC Theatres, Apple AppStore/iTunes, Fandango, XBOX, Panera Bread, Regal Theatres ... $6 BonusCash when you buy $30 of these items.*

FYI, "GameStop" is a big win, because not only can you purchase (additional) XBOX, PSN, Nintendo, and Steam credit there, but you order the GC credit from their website, and get a redemption code instantly after checkout.
 
For those who are new to the "Rite-Aid wellness+ reward BonusCash" program, you'll receive the $$$ amount when you purchase the minimum amount specified. Gift-cards within the same bullet-point share the same "limit 2 offers per customer", but you can earn rewards on the other bullet-point lines as well. For example, you can purchase $25 each of GameStop & Netflix (or $50 of GameStop) ... and still be able to purchase another $60 mix of Google & Apple & XBOX, and can stagger your 4 GC purchases throughout the week.

Screenshot of 2 separate GC offers (bullet points) included here:

• if you've met the limit of 2 items per BonusCash group with the current transaction, or
• if the transaction you're about to complete exceeds the limit of 2 per week, or
• when your BonusCash rewards will expire.

Luckily the mobile RiteAid app (and website) list your individual accumulation & cashing out on a per transaction basis, so that's a good way to keep tabs on the expiration dates, since you only get 30 days to spend the BonusCash once earned. Good luck!